


a little at a time

by Hazazel



Series: youtuber AU [3]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: BoKuroo Week, M/M, Youtuber AU, bokuto is silly, everything ends well though !, one chapter will be set in the hospital but don't worry it's nothing serious, without much youtube i'm afraid
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-01
Updated: 2018-04-07
Packaged: 2019-04-16 16:56:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 5,487
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14169378
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hazazel/pseuds/Hazazel
Summary: “Ha, I won !” Kuroo says, completely oblivious to the way Koutarou blushes. “Daichi should be there already, what’s the dude doing ?”“Maybe he got lost,” he says, to avoid feeling like a train hit him head first. Koutarou wishes he didn’t know what is happening, but he’s watched all of Matsukawa and Hanamaki’s videos and he knows what a crush feels like. It feels like this, exactly like this, and the realisation makes his heart thump out helplessly.Bokuto has a crush, confesses, and everything is fluffy and good.





	1. your warmth on my shoulder

**Author's Note:**

> A new installment in the youtuber AU ! Hope you like it

At first, Koutarou doesn’t register it happens. They’re just playing video games, waiting for Sawamura to get home so he and Kuroo can film their next video. And then, after some time, his side starts to feel warmer, and he realises Kuroo has leaned onto him, and hasn’t moved out of his space yet. It doesn’t feel bad. It doesn’t feel weird. It doesn’t feel like much, and yet Koutarou’s heart is beating so fast Kuroo might feel it.

“Ha, I won !” Kuroo says, completely oblivious to the way Koutarou blushes. “Daichi should be there already, what’s the dude doing ?”

“Maybe he got lost,” he says, to avoid feeling like a train hit him head first. Koutarou wishes he didn’t know what is happening, but he’s watched all of Matsukawa and Hanamaki’s videos and he knows what a crush feels like. It feels like this, exactly like this, and the realisation makes his heart thump out helplessly.

“I’m gonna call him,” Kuroo decides, and he gets up to fetch his phone. Koutarou’s side feels all cold now, and the change isn’t welcome. Mostly, he wonders if Kuroo noticed, if he cared about how they suddenly touched, if that’s why he didn’t move away.

“Hey, Daichi ?” Kuroo says in the distance, “What’s taking you so long ? Don’t fucking tell me you got lost chasing dogs aga- you did. Of course you did. Well get your ass back here, I’m crushing Bokuto six to two at Mario Kart and I’m not sure his heart can take it.”

Was the gap between them that large ? For a moment, Koutarou forgets his beating heart in favour of an indignant “I’m gonna beat you now, get _your_ ass back here !”, but as Kuroo settles back down, all he can think about his how he misses the warmth on his side.

And then-

Kuroo leans in close again, shoulders bumping, and he doesn’t move away. Koutarou’s heart leaps up his throat, and doesn’t move for the rest of the evening.

 

oOo

 

“’kaashi, of course I didn’t tell him. What if he moved away ? I didn’t wanna lose that.”

“You’re talking about the dude who did the ‘boyfriend challenge’ with his male roommate. I’m not sure he’d have moved away.”

Koutarou sighs, and drags a hand down his face. “Listen. I don’t wanna lose him.”

“That’s why you’re telling me about it literally two seconds after leaving his flat ?” Akaashi says, voice totally deadpan. “I wonder what you’d do without me.”

“Don’t talk about it,” Koutarou answers, horrified. “I’d have no one to tell about my crush on my best friend. One of my best friends,” he adds, “you’re the other one. Shouyou is our adopted kid.”

“I refuse to adopt Hinata,” Akaashi says. “And you’re straying from the point. What do you want me to do about your crush ?”

“How do I hide it ?” Koutarou whispers. Suddenly everything feel heavy – things are setting in, and understanding that Kuroo probably doesn’t reciprocate is, quite frankly, depressing.

“Don’t,” Akaashi immediately answers, matter of fact. “You’re terrible at hiding things, and Kuroo deserves to know. Not in that way – it’s just… How do you know he doesn’t like you back ?”

“Of course he doesn’t !”

“Have you asked ?”

“Of course I haven’t !”

Koutarou can feel Akaashi pinching his nose. “So,” he says, “how do-”

“You’re not a good liar,” Akaashi tells him. “You’ll get spotted no matter what I do.”

“Fuck. Should I tell him then ?”

“That’s what I’ve been saying,” he groans. Then, more softly “Only if you want to, though. If you think you’d better keep it hidden, I’ll help.”

“That’s literally the opposite of what you said two minutes ago,” Koutarou whines. “What am I supposed to do, hide it or tell him ?”

Akaashi sighs, and doesn’t answer right away. “How long have you known ?”

“Honestly ?” Koutarou thinks back on it and says, fearlessly, “I’m not sure but it’s been a while. I just – I just _realised_ today.”

“I’m glad you told me right away.”

“Well I didn’t really – I didn’t think about it twice ! Of course I’d tell you !”

“So you’re gonna listen to me now when I say that you should tell Kuroo ?”

“You know what ?” Koutarou stops dead in his tracks, and slowly turns around. “I’m gonna tell him right now.”

“Bokuto-san-”

“Thanks for the call ‘kaashi !” he says before he can regret his decision, and he hangs up.

 

oOo

[ **From: Akaashi** ]

bokuto is headed for your house

[ **To: Akaashi** ]

why ? he just left

[ **From: Akaashi** ]

uh

you’ll see

don’t panic ok ?

[ **To: Akaashi** ]

fuck did he

did he notice I have a crush on him

fuck I didn’t mean

is that why he’s coming back ?

[ **From: Akaashi** ]

oh

well

you’ll see

[ **To: Akaashi** ]

you’re so mean

 

oOo

 

Koutarou is out of breath when he finally reaches Kuroo’s house. He’s almost giddy, and frankly, quite scared. He’s been texting Akaashi non stop since he hang up, because he’s not past being encouraged a bit. There’s no telling how Kuroo will react, and there’s no telling how their relationship will evolve past this, but Akaashi is right – he’s never been good at lying and this is certainly not something he’d hide well.

The doorbell barely rings before Kuroo opens the door, weird. It’s like he’s been expecting him. Kuroo’s smile is shaky, so is his greeting, and Koutarou starts to think this is a bad idea. But before he can say anything, Kuroo grabs his hand.

“Can we talk ?”

“Yeah. Yeah, that’s. That’s what I came back for.”

I can still feel your warmth on my shoulder, Koutarou doesn’t say, but seeing Kuroo’s wobbly smile, he thinks he might.


	2. we meet again

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Ok, so what did you wanna talk to me about ?”  
> “Hey, you asked me if we could talk,” Koutarou says with a smile, “it’s your call dude.”  
> “Uh, ok. Uh, so. Uh.”  
> “You said ‘uh’ three times,” he says, and he wants to reach up and smooth out Kuroo’s wrinkled brow. “Don’t – like, don’t be afraid, I also have something pretty ‘uh’ to tell you.”

“Ok, so what did you wanna talk to me about ?”

“Hey, you asked me if we could talk,” Koutarou says with a smile, “it’s your call dude.”

“Uh, ok. Uh, so. Uh.”

“You said ‘uh’ three times,” he says, and he wants to reach up and smooth out Kuroo’s wrinkled brow. “Don’t – like, don’t be afraid, I also have something pretty ‘uh’ to tell you.”

“Imighthaveacrushonyou,” Kuroo lets out, probably faster than he intended.

Koutarou’s mouth opens into a perfect ‘o’.

“Please don’t hate me,” Kuroo adds quickly, but Koutarou shuts him up with a hand.

“Dude ! That’s what I came back to tell you !”

“That I have a crush on you ?”

“No, doofus. That _I_ have a crush on you.”

“Oh,” Kuroo says. “Oh. You’re not upset.”

“What ? Of course I’m not ! Even if I didn’t like you back I wouldn’t be upset.”

“Did you know I was ga-gay ?” Kuroo whispers, but he can’t hide a frown.

“No, but frankly, I didn’t care enough to notice. Not in the ‘I don’t care about you way’, just… I never cared about that ? I cared about you.”

“That’s gay.”

“That’s the spirit !” Koutarou booms, taking Kuroo’s hands in his. “Now we should kiss and ride off into the sunset.”

“It’s already night, silly.”

“Mean !” Koutarou says, and he can’t help sounding relieved.

When they kiss, it’s too soft at first, Koutarou can’t breathe. And then they ease into it, his lips mapping out the corner of Kuroo’s mouth, their hands grasping at each other’s sweaters.

“Meet me tomorrow ?”

“I thought you’d stay the night,” Kuroo exhales, too close too him – it’s making his head spin.

“I can’t, Sawamura-”

“He won’t say anything, dude, seriously. He – he might already know about this.”

“You told Sawamura before me !”

“You told Akaashi before me,” Kuroo chides, but his tone is fond. “Just – stay ?”

“I think I will,” Koutarou answers.

 

 

* * *

When he wakes up, Koutarou thinks he’s too warm. No, not exactly – it’s just warmer than usual, but he might get used to this. Kuroo’s head is buried in the pillows, and his arms are spread around, but his side is a constant warmth where it’s close to Koutarou’s, their legs tangled. The covers have been thrown off the bed some time during the night, and Koutarou now has no pillow, but it’s still one of the best nights in his life. His admittedly short life, with many more great nights to come, he thinks. Though, you’re not 24 and in love every day.

Oh god, he’s in love. He thought it for real, and it came so naturally, like it had been there for ages and he only now bothered to name it, which was probably what happened. Had he really been in love for so long ? Yeah, he thought. Yeah, and he’d been pretty oblivious about it, too. Just thinking back on the years – years ! – he’d known Kuroo, he could think of about a dozen examples of his very obvious feelings.

Once, in middle school, he’d told Kuroo he’d never leave his side because that’s what best friend did, and he’d punctuated this statement by holding Kuroo’s hand during all the afternoon. God, he was in too deep.

Kuroo stirred slightly besides him, barely awake, and he mumbled “Why you awake ? S’the holidays,” before diving right back into the pillows. “Too late now,” Koutarou answered to no one in particular.

To his surprise, the mess that was Kuroo’s hair rises again, and he hears a very drowsy and confused “D’s it mean I should wake up ?”.

“No, stay in bed, I’ll make breakfast,” Koutarou says, his voice too warm for this normal sentence. It was normal, right ? To feel so light and bright after having just woken up from a night of sleep next to… his lover, he assumes.

In the kitchen, Koutarou pauses with his hand in mid air when he remembers he has no idea where the cereals are. Kuroo had been re-arranging everything for his “I surprise my roommate by cleaning the house” video, which had given some much needed fresh air to the flat, but had made it almost unrecognisable in the process. Guess he’ll eat later, then. And have Kuroo make him a new flat tour, as well. Koutarou’s musings are interrupted by a deep voice.

“Um… Did you sleep here ?”

“Oh, Sawamura, hello !” he answers in a voice too shrill to be natural. “Yeah, I did ! I’ll uh, I’ll just go-”

“The cereals are in the top left cupboard,” Sawamura says, like the very helpful person he is. They eat their breakfast in silence, Sawamura obviously still sleepy, but Koutarou can’t stand in one place. There’s just so much going on, and what if – no, Sawamura would react well, he’s the one who’s been doing all these “boyfriend challenges” with Kuroo, he can’t be homophobic, right ? Right. No need to worry.

“So, uh, did you-”

“We started dating yesterday,” Koutarou says quickly before he can think too much about it.

“Not what I was going to ask, but I’m glad for the both of you,” Sawamura answers. “I was gonna say, did you work on that chem assignment ? Tetsurou’s been having trouble with it.”

Oh, so Sawamura calls him Tetsurou. He’d never noticed. How comes his university friend is on first-name basis when Koutarou, basically Kuroo’s oldest friend if you don’t count Daishou, isn’t ? That’s just gotta be fixed. As soon as Kuroo wakes up. Which might take some time, because the boy likes to nap. Well, sleep is basically an extended nap, isn’t it ? This train of thought isn’t going anywhere.

“I totally did not work on that chem assignment but I will as soon as Kuroo and I have a… how do you call them ?”

“A study date ?” Sawamura provides. Good, helpful Sawamura.

“Yeah, that.”

“Oh, good. He’ll stop bothering me about it then.”

“I sure hope so,” Koutarou says, and they fall back into a much more comfortable silence. Eventually, Kuroo will get up, and the day will begin with a whole new set of problems, but for now, Koutarou is just comfortable with the idea that he’ll get to see his boyfriend’s sleepy face in just a few seconds – a beautiful sleepy face no less.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> • The boys are gay that’s just a fact, everyone is gay  
>  • Daichi, the Good Helpful Dad Friend  
>  • I hope there’s not too much dialogue in these… I kinda like them as they are though  
>  • Imagine Bokuto referencing vines constantly and Daichi is just… LOST and Kuroo cackles in the background because he’s a nerd  
>  • New hc but Daichi is a language student, he’s a Korean major. Kuroo complains so much about his homework though that he knows perfectly well what a physics major is doing at all times  
>  • Kenma is Kuroo’s childhood friend and they’re a political sciences major !


	3. dnd is gay

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, Koutarou loves game nights.

Koutarou wasn’t sure he would survive another roll of his dice, so he carefully abstained from making the next perception check. Akaashi does it, gets an 18, and nails it like usual. Tsukishima, who’s sitting next to him, looks almost offended – he’s only managed to roll 6 or lower since the game began and Koutarou isn’t sure rage quitting is above him.

“Ok, I enter the room and check the chest,” Akaashi says.

Kuroo’s grin is devilish. “It explodes ! Your hands are badly burnt, and you’re propelled to the other side of the room, knocking over your companions.”

“Fuck it, I knew it was going too well,” Tsukishima says, but they smile a little. Mean.

Tabletop nights had become a staple in the Kuroo-Sawamura household, even though Sawamura found more and more dingy excuses not to participate each time Kuroo decided to open his rulebook with that slanted smile of his. Koutarou wasn’t sure he’d like the games, having never been a good player at… well, any game, but to his surprise, things had been going quite well.

Until tonight’s game of doom, apparently. If even Akaashi was blown away by a chest that had escaped his perception check that, it is to be reminded, was an 18, things were sure to become deadly very soon.

“I uh… I use a spell to heal Akaashi’s hands,” Koutarou says, unsure of the correct way to do it.

“His name is Lune, thank you very much,” Kuroo cheerfully corrects. “You use ‘Healing’, roll a dice.”

“I fucking hate dices,” he mutters, but he rolls nonetheless.

“15, see, it’s not that bad !” Kuroo exclaims. “You cast the spell, and a glowing blue light illuminates the whole room. Lune’s hand slowly start to recover, until there is but a soft pink left to testify of the burn.”

“Fancy,” Tsukishima mutters. “Speak like a normal person.”

“Ah ha, my dear Lancel, I am not a normal person ! I am… the Game Master !”

Tsukishima sighs very loudly, but can’t help straightening up when Akaashi smiles at them.

“Are y’all forgetting my spell went super well ? Praise for Haji !” Koutarou yells, which is, frankly, very in character. Kuroo can’t say a thing.

The story is simple: their party (Kourarou’s mage, Akaashi’s ranger and Tsukishima’s high-elf) is going through the ravages a demon left behind, trying to find the scroll that will stop it from destroying the country. The hitch is, they’ve never finished a story before, all seven times they tried. There’s always an issue – character sheets taking too long and everyone falling asleep at two am with the evil sorcerer undefeated, Sawamura dozing off and accidentally erasing all their progress with a mistimed spell, Tsukishima going rogue and betraying the party… Shit just happens, Koutarou guesses. It’d be nice to finish a game for once though, so he focuses on the task at hand – making sure this isn’t the chest that holds the scroll they’re looking for.

“Oh, can I cast another spell ?” Koutarou asks, checking his character sheet. “I have one that could work, it’s called ‘Impenetrable’, I can cast it on the chest and the detonation will be contained, and we can open it.”

“I’m actually impressed,” Tsukishima says, “that’s a good strategy.”

“See ! We can make this work, Lancel.”

Tsukishima winces at that, still not ok with being called by his character’s name. Kuroo insists on it though, to “keep the mood up”.

[ **From: kurocat** ]

nice babe

are you having fun ?

Koutarou chuckles at that. Of course Kuroo would worry about this, even when he’d assured him that he didn’t mind indulging in his boyfriend’s secret tabletop fantasy.

[ **To: kurocat** ]

are you really sending me texts hiding behind the gm board ?

[ **From: kurocat** ]

shuddup i’m the gm I can do what I want

“Are you sending Bokuto texts hiding behind your board ?” Tsukishima says. “That’s absolutely incredible, I can’t believe you’ve done this.”

“Aw, are you upset I’m not playing by the rules, Tsukki ?” Kuroo retaliates.

“You have no trouble calling me by y name when it’s this ridiculous nickname you gave me,” they say, completely ignoring the fact that Yamaguchi has been calling them that for ages. Everyone around the table knows this and their threat has absolutely no effect – especially not as Kuroo sends a last text to Koutarou without even hiding, before resuming the game.

“So, Bokuto, roll for a spell cast.”

This next roll is not so successful. It’s a measly 12, but it still manages to get the chest open, to reveal…

“A parchment scroll, shut by a glowing red wax seal !” Kuroo exclaims, like this isn’t completely underwhelming.

“Oh. Another quest to open the scroll. Jolly,” Tsukishima says, in their flattest tone.

“Aw come on, I worked hard on those quests !”

“Shouldn’t you be working hard on your upcoming thermo test ?” Akaashi pipes in.

“Shut uuuuup ! Shut up, all of you ! This test doesn’t exist until Tuesday evening when it’s finally over !”

“Very mature,” Akaashi and Tsukishima say at the same time. They look at each other, and reluctantly fist bump.

Koutarou smiles. The atmosphere, no matter what each may say, is completely relaxed, and even Tsukishima put their homework on the backburner to come and play. The squabbling is just how their group works, the little bumps forgotten with how smooth the ride is.

Yeah, Koutarou loves game nights.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> • Kuroo is Such A Nerd  
> • Bokuto never tells anyone he spends a lot of time reading DnD manuals online to know what he’s doing  
> • This game is inspired by DnD but I’ve never actually played DnD so there might be inaccuracies. This is tabletop rp as I remember playing it  
> • I’m quite tempted to write the game where Tsukishima went rogue but it wouldn’t be that interesting to read I think  
> • Frankly, the best at rp is Akaashi and Kuroo is forever bitter about how easy it comes to him  
> • Bokuto’s name in the game is usually Krabat, Akaashi’s is Lune, Tsukishima’s is Lancel (short for Lancelot) and Daichi’s is Fregg


	4. you get what you need

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The afternoon starts well. Koutarou is just hanging out in his flat, doing some homework, lazily texting Kuroo whenever he thinks he deserves a break. Which is often, admittedly. He makes a mug cake, sends a picture to Akaashi, and another one to Kuroo (with hearts in the caption, this time). He starts to do laundry and spends twenty minutes reenacting the last ghost movie he saw with the bedsheets. So, a normal afternoon.  
> It’s five pm when he gets the call.

The afternoon starts well. Koutarou is just hanging out in his flat, doing some homework, lazily texting Kuroo whenever he thinks he deserves a break. Which is often, admittedly. He makes a mug cake, sends a picture to Akaashi, and another one to Kuroo (with hearts in the caption, this time). He starts to do laundry and spends twenty minutes reenacting the last ghost movie he saw with the bedsheets. So, a normal afternoon.

It’s five pm when he gets the call.

“You’re listed as the emergency contact in Kuroo Tetsurou’s phone. Yes, he’s at the hospital. If you want to come and see him…”

Things are a bit fuzzy after that. Koutarou mostly remembers asking which hospital, not even bothering with how Kuroo ended up there. And why he hadn’t noticed how long it was since his last answer, and for maybe distracting him – oh god, what if he’d been hit by a car ? What if he was badly hurt ? Koutarou only realises he’s been clutching his phone too hard the entire time when he arrives at the hospital and almost has to snap his fingers open to take out a pen and fill in the form the receptionist hands out to him.

“Is he ok ?” Koutarou eventually manages to say.

“I don’t know, I’m the receptionist,” the lady tells him. “Wait over there, someone will come when you can see him.”

Koutarou blindly reaches for the form, his fingers cramped, and he goes to sit down on the uncomfortable plastic chairs of the waiting room. There are a lot of people there and for a while, he distracts himself with observing them. A little girl and her mother, who looks anxiously at the hospital door every five seconds – they’re waiting for someone too… A middle aged man in a wheelchair, half asleep, and a small woman with her leg in a makeshift cast. Several people reading the newspapers provided by the hospital, and several more dozing off, waiting for their turn.

Soon, Koutarou gets jittery. He can’t help but shake his leg, walk up and down the narrow hallway, startle every time the door leading inside the hospital opens. Then, his phone rings – oh. He has several missed messages from Akaashi, and one missed call. He hadn’t even noticed… He quickly types an answer to Akaashi’s message, “sorry, i’m at the hospital”, and only has to wait seconds before an incoming call.

“What did you do ? Are you ok ?” Akaashi’s nervousness is barely concealed, and it reassures Koutarou that his friend worries so much for him.

“It’s not me, it’s Kuroo… I don’t know what happened, they won’t let me see him, I’m just… stuck in the waiting room,” Koutarou finishes. The world is starting to get a little bit blurry, and he has to blink back wetness from his eyelashes, but his voice is steadier when he speaks again. “I’ll be fine. Don’t worry.”

“Where are you ?”

“Matsuzawa hospital.”

“I’m coming right away,” Akaashi says, and Koutarou can hear someone in the background asking a question, but Akaashi hangs up too fast to really understand.

It takes half an hour for Akaashi to arrive and still no news of Kuroo. Koutarou has taken to biting his fingernails bloody, which doesn’t really help, but he doesn’t know what to do with his hands and the anxiety is killing him. There’s no way Kuroo can be badly hurt, he has to be ok… Koutarou wishes he could do something. He feels so powerless sitting here, waiting for a doctor to tell him things are fine.

When Akaashi enters the waiting room, there’s someone on his heels. It’s Tsukishima, and they look way more anxious than Koutarou would have thought. He knows Kuroo means a lot to all of them, and it’s reassuring to know he’s not the only one worried sick.

“We did as fast as we could,” Akaashi says, and Koutarou silently takes his hand to hold it tight. “Is it ok if we stay here with you ?”

“Of course,” Koutarou answers.

The interminable wait starts again, this time punctuated by Tsukishima anxiously watching the clock behind them and Akaashi’s thumb soothingly drawing circles on Koutarou’s palm.

“Calling visitors for Kuroo Tetsurou”, someone suddenly says, and the three of them scrable to their feet to follow the nurse down a large hallway. There are beds on every side of the corridor, with people waiting out some more for the doctors to arrive. Kuroo is a little further, in a room with several other beds. His head is wrapped in gauze, but he’s awake, and he smiles weakly when he sees them enter.

“Hey,” he says, smile wobbly.

“Tetsurou,” Koutarou says, carefully wrapping him in a hug, “I was so worried.”

“It’s nothing, I was at work and some boxes fell on me.”

“He has a concussion, and will need to stay here for the night,” the nurse tells them.

“Damn, I should have brought you some clothes, I did laundry this afternoon,” Koutarou says with a wet laugh.

Kuroo answers nothing, his eyes a little unfocused, but his hand comes up to stroke Koutarou’s cheek and he grins more assuredly this time.

“I’m fine. Everything’s ok,” he whispers.

“Yeah,” Koutarou says, “yeah. God, I love you.”

Kuroo’s smile lights up the whole room. “I love you too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> • Kuroo spends two days at the hospital and is Bored as hell and also whines like a baby because he misses one day of school  
>  • Koutarou wants to sleep in his bed to keep him company and the nurse answers a Stern “No”  
>  • Tsukishima buys him a cat plushie at the hospital shop and turns absolutely beet red when Akaashi tells Kuroo it was from them  
>  • It was their first “I love you” !


	5. it's a study date babe

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They really need to study, but they’ve also been spending less and less time together because finals are coming, so when Kuroo throws around the idea of a study date, Koutarou’s answer is an immediate “Yes !”. That’s how they end up with their legs tangled on Koutarou’s living room floor, papers strewn around the room.

They really need to study, but they’ve also been spending less and less time together because finals are coming, so when Kuroo throws around the idea of a study date, Koutarou’s answer is an immediate “Yes !”. That’s how they end up with their legs tangled on Koutarou’s living room floor, papers strewn around the room. The humid July air makes their clothes stick to them like a second skin, and they haven’t moved in a while. They also haven’t studied in a while, and just as Koutarou thought, the “study” part of the “study date” isn’t nearly as present as the “date” aspect.

“Hey,” Kuroo says, his voice a little drowsy. “I’m going to my grandparent’s house for the holidays. It’s near Osaka. Wanna come ?”

“Sure,” Koutarou yawns. It makes Kuroo yawn, and then, they blink owlishly at each other as a sudden gust of wind blows their papers into further disarray. “We should start studying again, the chem exam is gonna be tough.”

“You say that because you like maths better, and chem has less maths than it has…”

“Weirdness. Chem is so weird, ok ? Like, that time we used acids in an experiment. Did you realise they gave us acid ? Pure, undiluted acid ? What were they thinking !”

“Nothing bad happened,” Kuroo says, but he’s smiling.

They study for about five minutes. Then, Koutarou gets lost in the way the sun dapples on Kuroo’s legs, small golden spots escaping the blinds, and he starts drawing constellations with the tip of his pen. Kuroo’s breath hitches and he also stops working, a bit of colour rising to his cheeks as he watches Koutarou work.

“Stop it,” he finally says when Koutarou reaches his thighs. They’re both in their boxer briefs, too hot to care about so much exposed skin, but now Kuroo is flushed to the neck of his t-shirt and he can’t look Koutarou in the eye.

“Sorry,” Koutarou smiles.

“You’re not,” Kuroo protests weakly. He has a hard time not smiling too, though, so Koutarou lets go of his pen to lace their fingers together, picking back his book and starting to read again.

They’re so in love it hurts, so in love the whole room seems to glow, so in love the stars are with the even in broad daylight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> • I don’t have hcs this was just pure fluff  
> I hope you enjoyed, please don't forget to leave kudos and comments, they're what helps me write.


	6. i.love.you

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Koutarou is bored. Chem is the funniest class, usually, because Kuroo is there too and they have fun passing notes back and forth. Notes that have become increasingly made of hearts and badly drawn cat emoji, but nobody’s there to judge. Kuroo is not here today, though, and he didn’t say anything to Koutarou about skipping. Maybe he’s sick, maybe he just wanted more time to work on his next biology test. Either way, Koutarou is alone and bored.

_**I love it when you smile at me** _

Koutarou is bored. Chem is the funniest class, usually, because Kuroo is there too and they have fun passing notes back and forth. Notes that have become increasingly made of hearts and badly drawn cat emoji, but nobody’s there to judge. Kuroo is not here today, though, and he didn’t say anything to Koutarou about skipping. Maybe he’s sick, maybe he just wanted more time to work on his next biology test. Either way, Koutarou is alone and bored.

[ **To: kaashi** ]

send help kuroo isn’t here in chem

[ **From: kaashi** ]

you’re in class bokuto-san

Damn, so relief will definitely not come from Akaashi. There’s just nothing to do, apart from following the very slow chem professor, whose voice barely fills the auditorium.

_**Your kisses make my head swim** _

When he gets back home, Koutarou doesn’t feel like working some more. He just dishes his backpack somewhere hoping he won’t trip on it, and makes himself some tea. While he waits for the tea to cool, he opens his phone. No news from Kuroo, so he shoots him a quick heart emoji, before flopping on the couch with his laptop. The September air is still warm, but not as stifling as it was back in January, so the hot tea is a welcome relief on Koutarou’s parched throat.

Akaashi isn’t answering his last message, and his social media is completely empty. Maybe he checks it too often, maybe people are just as busy as Kuroo is – he thinks that without resentment, just some regret at his lack of interactions lately. They haven’t had a game night in a while, he hasn’t seen either Tsukishima or Shouyou in a while, everyone seems too absorbed in their own life to meet up. He’s been busy too, he thinks.

_**I’d spend all my life with you** _

Kuroo still hasn’t answered his texts by 6pm, so Koutarou makes himself early dinner, and tries to work a bit. He predictably trips over his backpack, manages to get his maths textbook out without feeling too discouraged, and settles down on the couch. This chapter is quite interesting, but he can’t really get his head into the right work mindset. Maybe it’s because he’s been lazing out all day.

Eventually, he gives up, and opens his laptop again. Some activity this time – Tsukishima and Akaashi posted a new original song, and as usual, it’s really good, so Koutarou smiles and sends a lot of smileys to both of them.

He wonders what Kuroo is doing.

_**My life is better with you in it** _

The next day, still no sign of Kuroo. He probably lost his charger again, the idiot. Still, he could have sent him a message. Koutarou will wait for a day or two, and if he still doesn’t have news, he’ll drop by Kuroo’s flat. Yeah, that’s a good plan. Koutarou feels infinitely lighter now that it’s taken care of, and the day goes by so quick he can’t quite realise it when it’s time to go to bed.

His phone is still empty.

_**You make my heart flutter** _

[ **From: kurocat** ]

hey, will you come at my flat this afternoon ?

Finally, some news ! Koutarou doesn’t understand why Kuroo isn’t asking him to come right now – it’s Saturday and he doesn’t have anything better to do – but he just sends an excited “yess :D” and puts his phone back down. There haven’t been any reasons to worry, and some part of him is quite happy they can spend so long without talking to each other, and it not being an issue. Koutarou was worried he’d be overbearing, and thankfully, time proved him wrong.

_**You’re my moon and stars** _

When Kuroo opens the door, he has a giddy smile on his face that he can’t quite hide, and Koutarou smiles happily in answer. They briefly kiss, and Koutarou had missed this – missed him, no matter what he said. There’s just some void in him that Kuroo manages to fill, and his heart soars.

“I have a surprise,” Kuroo whispers, and he motions for Koutarou to follow him to his room. “Close your eyes.”

When Koutarou enters the room, he can feel something brush his cheek. It feels like paper, soft and cold. Before he has time to wonder why, Kuroo says “Open your eyes”.

The room is lit by the setting sun, and Koutarou can’t quite believe what he sees. Dangling from the ceiling are paper hearts, each with a short sentence on them.

“I love you,” Kuroo says. “I, uh, I thought-”

“This is wonderful,” and Koutarou’s eyes are a little wet. “I love you too. Is that what you’ve been up to these last few days ?”

“I was worried I’d spoil it if I talked to you… Sorry I’ve been absent.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Koutarou says, still reeling from the surprise. “Can I kiss you again ?”

“Like you have to ask,” Kuroo giggles.

And so they kiss, and Koutarou whispers “I love you” against Kuroo’s lips, his heart at peace.


	7. petals // snapshots

Koutarou’s fingers smell strongly of strawberries when he opens the door and he hides them behind his back, self-conscious. Kuroo smiles as he enters, brushing a hand on his back, and behind him…

“Hello, Koutarou !” Kuroo’s mom says, at the same time Kuroo’s other mom says, “Koutarou, hi !”

“H-hey,” he answers, “what’s, um, what’s this ?”

“Tetsurou insisted on bringing a gift, but then he chickened out and told us to carry it,” Kuroo-san explains.

“It” is the giant bouquet she’s holding, full of white and pink flowers.

“Aw, Tetsu, you shouldn’t have,” he says, and kisses him on the cheek. They’re both blushing, but as Kuroo’s moms laugh, all Koutarou feels is overwhelming love.

 

 

* * *

“I got you flowers, babe,” Kuroo says on the phone. “I know it’s a big day for you.”

“Aw, stop it, you romantic sap,” Koutarou answers, a laugh bubbling down his throat. “It’ll go well.”

“Of course it will, you’ve been preparing for this oral for days.”

Koutarou knows this, but he’s still anxious, and he’s glad Kuroo took the time to call. Even if he doesn’t get flowers – he doesn’t put it past Kuroo, though – he’ll still be glad he got a moment to catch his breath. Kuroo is so careful around him at times like these, remembering well how his mood was in high school days, so it’s sometimes good to just laugh it off. Koutarou smiles – this day is shaping out to be pretty good after all.

* * *

Koutarou’s hands are bloody all over from all the thorns digging up into his fingers but he’s finally finished it – the rose bouquet he was preparing is now complete and it looks absolutely gorgeous. In five minutes according to his text, Kuroo will be here and they’ll spend the evening together, probably watching that horrible movie he downloaded while eating Koutarou’s questionable cooking. There’s no other way he’d like it more.

* * *

“Watch out !” someone says very loudly. Not quick enough apparently, because Koutarou can’t turn around in time and is knocked over by some pretentious looking kid with a bedhead the size of his head.

“Oh, sorry, I didn’t hear you in time,” Koutarou says, because he’s polite now and also his mother will eat him if he disrespects a classmate once more.

“Don’t be sorry,” bedhead answers, “you’re the one on the ground. Oh fuck, you crushed it anyways.”

Under Koutarou is some small looking-flower, half destroyed by his feet. The boy looked ready to dive to protect that flower, so it must have been important.

“I’ve been looking for a flower all morning for my biology project… Ah, nevermind, it’s not your fault it’s in bad shape now.”

“Hey, it’s ok. I’ll help you look for one if you want.”

“Sure !” the boy smiles. “I’m Kuroo Tetsurou, class 6.”

“Bokuto Koutarou, class 3.”

“Pleased to meet you,” Kuroo says, and Koutarou shoots a glance at his eyes as he does so – they’re gleaming, a promising golden colour.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaand it's a wrap ! Thank you to all of you that read this fanfiction, it was a pleasure to write it. Please leave comments and kudos, they're what helps me write more ! Take care, have a good day !

**Author's Note:**

> • Kuroo and Daichi have a channel. Well, Kuroo has a channel, originally called “i annoy my roommate”, that he put a lot of thought into until it just turned into memes and silly challenges because he was too busy with university. It uploads anywhere from once a week to once a month  
> • Bokuto doesn’t have a channel, but he supports Akaashi’s singing channel (they’ve known each other since high school) and Kuroo’s meme channel (they’re together in uni but they’ve known each other since middle school, they study physics)  
> • I personally hc Bokuto as being good at maths, and I interpret the bit in the manga where he says “Akaashi ! Don’t tell them about my bad grade in maths !” (or something) as a one off thing that he felt really bad about. He wasn’t just good at it though, he worked hard to get there ! (and you can too ! This is the good luck message when you see it you get a good grade – ok I’ll stop)  
> • Akaashi, Best Best Friend  
> • Not pictured: Hinata jumping up and down, saying “Bokuto-san is so cool ! Confessing to his crush in an instant !”


End file.
